The Charm Of Artemus
by Colohue
Summary: Thrown together by the Dark Wanderer a group suddenly find themselves travelling together.


Diablo II: The Charm Of Artemus  
  
Chapter 1: The Wanderer  
  
Caravans rode from the south, moving swiftly through the Blood Moor. In the lead caravan sat the Paladin Artemus the sixth. He was sat looking out of the front wearing slightly damaged Chain Mail and holding a scepter in his hand. This scepter was the Paladin's Revenge, an ancient weapon created in the forges of Artemus the first and passed down for generations. His helm was in the back of the caravan with his Kite shield.  
  
Earlier in the day, the eighth that they had ridden, they had passed a man in black. In the time it had taken for Artemus to remove his helm the man was gone. Which way could not be seen.  
  
Suddenly, the caravan fell onto its back and dragged into the ground. The party stopped and the driver of the front caravan ran outside to find out what had happened.  
  
"The back wheels have gone," he called to everyone who could hear him, "make camp until the morning, we are not alone."  
  
Quickly the caravans moved into a circular area and everybody got out into the circle. One of the drivers moved to light a fire. He put down some wood and started to rub it together.  
  
A shower of sparks burst from his hands, lighting up the area and lighting the fire amazingly high. Too high. Great black smoke rose from it, blinding everybody. Artemus instinctively raised his shield and found himself deflecting several blows. He called upon his Defiance to cover him and everybody else in the circle before unhooking Paladin's Revenge. The smoke began to clear and Artemus saw a bony hand swing a mace towards him. He raised his scepter and brought it down hard onto the skull of his nearest attacker in a burst of flame. He blocked two blows more and threw a blow at his nearest assailant. It stumbled backwards and moved forwards again, jabbing its saber forward. Artemus swung in an upward arc, striking the chin of the charging skeleton, it's blade fell to the ground. He swung once more, wildly, unsettling a skeleton coming towards him.  
  
Running back towards the caravan that still held his helm he was quickly blocked by two more skeletons. Artemus said two quick prayers, calling on both his Might and his Vengeance he swung wide from left to right ruthlessly. He hit hard, all but shattering both skeletons at once. Artemus leapt into his caravan and put on his helm. Turning around he blocked another skeleton and struck at it with his shield until it fell from the caravan. Artemus lifted his pack and heaved it over his shoulder, tying it randomly with string. He picked up a Ruby and put it in his pocket before jumping back out into the fray.  
  
By now the smoke had cleared and skeletons could be seen across the makeshift camp. Artemus could see corpses across the circle, as well as many skeletons on the ground. Rushing forward he clubbed down a skeleton coming at him and proceeded directly forward towards a Sorceress in trouble. Praying as he went he saw the Sorceress begin to fall from pain as he smashed through another skeleton going towards her. He dragged off one attacker and clubbed down again on another. He swung left, shattering one and the sorceress cleared the other. He guarded her for a little while while his Prayer took effect. She muttered repeated thanks before he went off again.  
  
A Blood Golem passed him by but he kept running. A Barbarian sped past him, swinging both of the axes he held. Continuing on he made it to the fire and called for Vengeance. Clubbing down his Cold attack dimmed the fire, but skeletons began to pour out again. He swung randomly and fell back. Turning he saw several small worm like creatures biting at the Barbarian. He called on Defiance and saw the Barbarian block the blows before swinging all of the attacking things away from him. Going back to Prayer he continued to swing at any skeleton that came towards him. He knocked won another, then struck out at another that rose from the ground to attack him. The sorceress passed him, casting Ice Blasts at the fire to try and put it out. Artemus swung his scepter again, knocking away a blade and striking at the attacker.  
  
Artemus looked back towards the fire and saw a grand skeleton rise from it. This one was twice as tall as the others and held a great Bastard Sword in both hands. On his head was a Golden Crown with a jewel encrusted in the front. Artemus knew him from old books of lore. Leoric, undead king of Tristram came at the young sorceress sending Fire Ball spells at him. The sorceress caught him off guard with an Ice Blast, slowing him as she fled to a safer area.  
  
Both Artemus and the Barbarian on the battlefield went straight for Leoric, smashing through skeletons to make a path to him. Knowing the power behind his foe Artemus asked the heavens for his Thorns aura and his Vengeance attack. The Barbarian, now beside him, shouted out, scattering the skeletons before him. Leoric swung down, missing the Barbarian by inches as the Barbarian leapt over his foe. Artemus stopped and swung his scepter, striking the back of Leoric's legs. A blast of lightning came from the scepter and Leoric spun to hit out at Artemus. The attack knocked the Paladin to the ground as Leoric cried out in pain from the Thorns. The Barbarian clubbed down with both of his axes, striking at the chest of the great skeleton. Leoric lashed out, sending the Barbarian sprawling until he was engulfed by skeletons.  
  
Another great smash came as a Blood Golem struck at Leoric. From the ground came several skeletons and mages, throwing in their services. Leoric swung his sword and the Blood Golem fell to the ground, as did its Necromancer. Using the distraction Artemus rose again and struck down a skeleton coming for him. He turned to Leoric as the king raised his blade. Leoric cried out, his blade fell and his hands rushed to his head. A Javelin had embedded itself in his skull. Artemus brought up the Paladin's Revenge and brought it down on Leoric's aching head. Leoric shattered under the Might of Artemus.  
  
With the fall of their king the skeletons fell around him. The fire went out in a final puff of smoke. What was left of the travellers moved towards the fire, where the dead wood had been burning moments ago. An Amazon sat there first, thrusting her Spear into the ground before she sat. The Sorceress and the Barbarian, neither of which relinquished their weapons, soon joined her. Artemus hooked the scepter onto his belt and sat with them. Their final companion was the Necromancer. There were no other survivors.  
  
For a long time the five of them sat in silence before the Sorceress opened the conversation.  
  
"What in the holy hell just happened?"  
  
"Leoric, king of Tristram just came to attack us," replied the Amazon.  
  
"Leoric's dead," replied the Sorceress, "everybody knows that."  
  
"Leoric is not dead, he never has been and he never will be," exclaimed the Necromancer, "Leoric has been cursed to stay undead forever. Soon he will rise from another fire."  
  
"Then why would he appear here?" asked the Sorceress.  
  
"He follows the one that cursed him. He will until the one who cursed him is dead."  
  
"The man we passed as we entered the Blood Moor," said Artemus, voicing what had been on his mind since the attack began, "the man in the black cloak. He's the only one it could be."  
  
"Wrong," replied the Amazon, "Diablo, lord of Terror was the one who cursed him, Diablo should be dead, but if Leoric isn't. No, it must be something else, Diablo could not have been through the Blood Moor."  
  
"Then what about that man?"  
  
"Are you sure you saw a man, I saw nothing?"  
  
"There was a man there," cried the Barbarian quickly, "a man in a black cloak whose face I couldn't see, but then he disappeared."  
  
"He was gone by the time I removed my helm," said Artemus, "I rode without it for the rest of the journey."  
  
"Then why did only you two see him?" inquired the Sorceress, "I was riding with Reagan and she kept using her Amazon Eye thing but we didn't see anything."  
  
"As she said I would have seen something," said the Amazon slowly, Artemus gathered that this was Reagan.  
  
"I resurrected a Raven to act as a sentry and it saw nothing," added the Necromancer.  
  
"This isn't the first time I've seen the man in black," said the Barbarian.  
  
"Nor mine," Artemus said, shocked at what had happened.  
  
"So what happened when you two saw him?"  
  
The barbarian went first, "My name is Bloodaxe and I was a member of the Blood Tribe in the North. We were both respected and feared and we were slowly taking over the lands there not by force but by money. We were honoured because we aided the Horadrim when they first battled the Prime Evils. We continued the battle, but something went wrong. As I was hunting an animal killer in the woods I saw the man in black wandering through the woods. I went back towards my camp and found that it had been completely destroyed. There was nothing left but ash all across the camp. I looked back towards the woods and saw the wanderer going back into them. I chased him and chased him until I found my way to a clearing. The animal killer I had been looking for attacked me there. I didn't see him again until back there and this happened."  
  
"My name is Artemus the Sixth and my home was attacked as well. In the battle I faced hordes of skeletons to hold them back and saw the Wanderer walking right through the battlesite to the grave of my ancestor Artemus the first. He broke into the grave and took from it the Charm of Artemus. This charm gave ultimate control over the elements, but when used incorrectly it can spell disaster to everybody. That is why it was buried. My father and myself managed to break through and went at the wanderer but as we reached it a sight came before our eyes and we lost control of the battle. We saw Diablo himself rise from the ground. The charm was taken and my father was killed. Several other died so I could survive. I took my scepter from my father and went after the charm, but I have never been able to find it. I fear it has been used to return Diablo."  
  
"So the two of you see him but we don't," the Sorceress said, looking puzzled, "maybe it is Diablo. Anyway I don't think we should stay here. It's not safe, we have to get going."  
  
"Agreed," announced the Necromancer, "we'll travel to the Rogue Encampment and from there I intend to go after that wanderer. If it is Diablo I intend to kill him myself."  
  
"You're not the only one who wants a little glory," said the Sorceress, "well if we'll be travelling together I guess we'd better get to know each other. Mr Bloodaxe, Artemus, my name's Savis," she held out both of her hands. Artemus shook it and went to look through the caravans while Bloodaxe took his time shaking it. Savis winced in pain as he did until he finally gave up and muttered an apology.  
  
"Corthil," the Necromancer did not shake any hands, instead he simply began to look through the caravans himself, looking for anything that might help him. Seeing a large Sapphire encrusted ring on the finger of a fallen Amazon he knelt down and took it for himself. The Amazon moved towards him and took it before he had slipped it onto his finger.  
  
"You'd do well to be less of a thief, you should watch yourself, my people are loyal even in death Corthil," she left him standing there as she went off to pick up her things.  
  
Savis and Bloodaxe began their own scavenging. Savis stopped as she went and looked at everybody else, "I wonder if any of us will kill Diablo? Well, if we can work together at least." 


End file.
